Automatic doors are frequently used for security and safety purposes and may be implemented in various configurations, such as sliding doors, rotating panel doors, folding doors, or revolving doors. For example, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, one example of an automatic door system 100 includes one or more accordion-type doors 102A/102B and may be used for security and/or safety purposes. Doors 102A/102B may be formed with a plurality of panels 104 connected to one another with hinges or hinge-like members 106. Hinges 106 may allow for doors 102A/102B to be folded and compactly stored in a pocket 108 formed within walls 110. Furthermore, doors 102A/102B may be driven by a motor 114 along a track 116 to join with one another in order to provide an appropriate barrier to secure an area.
The automatic door system 100 may further include input devices such as sensors and switches (not specifically shown), which may assist in the control and operation of doors 102A/102B. The input devices may be coupled to, and in communication with, an automatic door system controller or control box 118. For example, automatic door system 100 may include a sensor for determining whether AC power is being supplied to motor 114. In another example, automatic door system 100 may include a sensor for determining whether a back-up battery contains an adequate charge to provide power to a motor 114 in the event that there is a loss of AC power. Automatic door system 100 may also include a leading edge sensor for detecting an obstruction in the door's path when the door is being closed. Furthermore, the automatic door system 100 may include what is known as “panic hardware” or a device that allows a predetermined amount of time during which a trapped person may escape through doors 102A/102B.
The failure of one or more components of automatic door system 100 (e.g., a batter pack, a power supply, or one or more input devices) may cause a system malfunction at a critical moment. Therefore, in order to ensure proper operation of automatic door system 100, a monitoring system may be integrated within control box 118. In the instance that an input device reports a malfunction or an emergency event, the monitoring system may report the malfunction or other event to an end-user. Because control box 118 is conventionally located inside pocket 108 for protection and security reasons, the monitoring system may be difficult to access in order to obtain information regarding a fault or alarm condition.
Some monitoring systems, due to difficulty in physically accessing such systems, utilize audio devices to identify faults and/or alarms. Although these monitoring systems are capable of providing fault or alarm data to the end-user, the data is typically difficult to decipher because each fault or alarm is conventionally designated by a different series of beeps. For example, a “one-one-three” beep pattern (a single distinct beep, followed by another single distinct beep, followed by three closely spaced beeps) may indicate that a battery has a low charge while a “one-two-one” beep pattern may indicate low AC voltage. When a user hears a series of beeps, the user must often turn to an owner's manual or contact a supplier or a maintenance company to determine which fault or alarm is being described by the series of beeps and then determine the necessary steps to repair or to further diagnose the problem.
In some instances, rather than relying on a series of beeps or other audible signals to provide information regarding the operation of a door, monitoring systems have been developed wherein fault and alarm data is provided in visual form. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0101721, to Weik, III et al., for example, discloses an active oxygen management, fire encirclement, and operational verification system. The operational verification system includes a programmable door controller through which tests are planned, conducted and reported to a remote location. The data relating to the test or alarm may be sent to a remote location automatically and stored locally in the door's controller. The data stored locally can be accessed by manually initiating a scrolling sequence of messages for the local user.
While monitoring systems such as the one disclosed by Weik, III et al. are alleged to be successful in monitoring for faults discovered after testing, they appear to be insufficient for automatically providing end-user warnings to both a local location (e.g., near the door) as well as a remote location. Furthermore, it appears that such a system fails to provide instructions to an end-user to enable the end-user to fix or further diagnose the problem. Additionally, in the case where the door is not connected to a remote monitor or controller, or where a connection with such a remote device malfunctions, it does not appear that the local monitoring display automatically notifies the end-user about a fault that may cause the door to malfunction. Such a fault in one of the door's components or subsystems may remain undiscovered by the end-user until maintenance personnel manually inspects the door's reports.
There is a need for methods and systems for monitoring an automatic door and a network of automatic doors. More specifically there is a need for providing a monitoring system with local and remote displays configured to provide information relating to the operation of at least one automatic door.